Package



Oct. 11, 1938. J. STEPHENS 2,132,448

PACKAGE Filed Feb. 8, 1957 Patented Oct. 11, *1938 PATENT OFFICE 2,132,448 PACKAGE John Stephens, Chicago, Ill., assigner of one-half to Raymond E. Axelstrom, Chicago, Ill.

Application February s, 1937, serial No. 124,699

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements inpackages, particularly cellophane wrapped packages and means to facilitate opening the package along a predetermined line to permit ready access to the contents while preserving the package as a protective container for the portion of the contents that may not be immediately removed.

Methods and means, employing al rip cord or the like, have heretofore been devised for more easily opening the cellophane outer wrapper of the packages without ruining the same as a protective covering; and too, such means have been devised to readily open the inner package,v

at the same time, whereby the top or an end of the same is completely removed, thus providing access to the package contents. However, these arrangements are unsuitable for packages such as cigarette packages wherein an opening' is desired for access to the contents that will not seriously harm or weaken the combined inner and outer wrappers as a protective container for any unused portion of the contents.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved package arranged to be partially opened without seriously weakening the package structure andwithout disturbing the relationship of the package and its protective covering; to provide an improved package wherein a partial opening may be made by means of a rip cord Without causing separation of the package and its protective covering; to provide an improved ripl cord and opening arrangement for cellophane wrapped packages; to provide an improved package and rip cord combination whereby both the outer protective covering and the inner package may be opened in one operation; to provide such a combination wherein an opening extending only partially around the package may be provided; to provide an improved package having a preformed opening and an improved combined rip cord and sealing means; to provide such apackage having an air-tight "cel1ophane opened by means of rip cord sealing the inner package; to provide an improved package having a preformed opening and a rip cord closure means arranged to obviate tearing of the inner package during the opening operation; and to provide such a package having reinforced means extending along the margins of a preformed opening and a rip cord closure means appliedA to the package on top of the reinforcing means. A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which;

outer wrapper arranged to be Fig. 1 isa perspective view of the improved package unopened and showing the improved opening arrangement.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same showing the package opened.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing a preformed opening and its relative location in the foil liner or inner wrapper of a package.

' Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the position of a preformed opening in the paper outer wrapper of the package, together with the arrangement of reinforcing means along the margins of the opening. 4

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the same showing the rip cord opening device applied.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the cellophane protective wrapper showing the arrangement of opening therein to permit protrusion of the end of the rip cord for manipulation of the same, the rip cord and its relation to the opening in the cellophane wrapper being shown in dotted outline.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of a corner of the unopened package showing the manner of sealing the rip cord opening in the cellophane protective wrapper, and

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the manner of opening the package.

As shown in the drawing, the invention is particularly applicable to packages such as cigarette packages having airtight cellophane outer wrapper or covering and wherein it is preferable to only partially open the package so as to' preserve the same as a container, portions only of the contents beingremoved at spaced inter- Ivals.

As shown, the package I is of usual or ordinary construction with the exception that a preformed opening is provided, together with a cornbination rip-cord and sealing member 'for closing the preformed opening until it is desired to have access to the contents of the package. 'I'he preformed opening may be located in any suitable portion of the package according to the nature of the contents of the same. package illustrated, being a cigarette package, the opening is shown located in the side walls of the package closely adjacentthe upper end of the same and extends transversely of one side of the. package and partially across the front and back faces of the package. Thus, an opening is provided at one corner only of the package, as shown in Fig. 2, which will not disturb the structure of the package as a container and which will maintain the Xed or sealed relationship of the Thus, the

package and its outer protective cellophane wrapper or cover.

The opening is thus arranged so that one corner of the package may serve as a lid which may be lifted to reach thecontents of the package or which may be completely removed to provide a relatively small permanent opening in the package.

As shown in Fig. 2 the margins of the opening are reinforced by means of strips 2 which extend along each side of the opening and a rip cord 3 (see Fig. l) is applied on top of the reinforcing strips 2 to seal the opening until it is desired to open the package. The rip cord 3 is preferably adhesive on the side adjacent the wrapper of the package and the rip cord 3 may be another strip of ce11ophane" since it is Well known that such material, though cemented together, may be separated more easily than cellophane and paper. However, it will be understood that there are other combinations oi materials which may be employed to accomplish the desired purpose of providing easy separation of the rip cord 3 from the wrapper and to obviate tearing of the paper wrapper, such as Wax strips upon which the rip cord is suitably secured.

As shown in Fig. 1, one end ci the rip cord 3 extends through an opening provided in the cellophane protective wrapper of the package and this opening is sealed by means of a sealing piece or closure patch 4 applied to the outside of the cellophane wrapper, the end 5 of the rip cord 3 extending beyond the margin of the sealing piece 4 so as to be accessible for opening the package.

The package shown is made in the usual manner and comprises an inner wrapper or liner 6 covered with metal foil and an outer wrapper 1 oi enameled or calendered paper which serves as a sheath for the inner wrapper, and finally there is the cellophane protective wrapper d which serves to keep the package airtight and moisture proof.

In carrying out my invention, preformed openings are made in the foil inner wrapper i? and the paper outer wrapper 'i as shown in Figs. 3 and e, these openings being so located in the respective wrappers that they will register at the desired location on the completed package. The inner wrapper t is made Vof such size as to completely enclose the contents and the paper outer wrapper is made to form an open ended pocket or sheath surrounding the inner wrapper, the paper wrapper being open at one end only. The preformeel opening 9.i in the inner wrapper is a slit cut at the time that the inner wrapper is cut to size; and likewise the preformed opening or slit 9 in the paper outer wrapper is formed at the time it is cut to size so that when the package is formed by the wrapping machine, the slits 9.i and 9 will register with each other..

As shown in Fig. 4, the reinforcing or separation strips 2 are preferably applied to the paper outer wrapper along the margins of the slit 9 before the outer wrapper is applied to the package. Also, the reinforcing or separation strips 2 are preferably of such length as to extend beneath the revenue stamp ill, shown in dotted outline,

after the same has been applied to the nished package, the slit 9 in the wrapper being preferably oi such length as to extend to but not beyond the edge ofthe revenue stamp It.

After the strips 2 have been applied, then the rip cord sealing member 3 is applied to the paper outer wrapper, the rip cord 3 being pasted, cemented, or otherwise secured on top of the strips 2 along substantially the entire length thereof but with its end 5 loose from the package so that the revenue stamp li! may be placed under the end 5 leaving it free for the purpose of opening the package.

The cellophane outer wrapper 8 is preferably arranged so that the seam formed by the overlapping and cemented edges of the "cellophane outer wrapper will not extend across the location of the rip cord 3 and a small opening preferably in the form of a slit l l is formed in the cellophane outer wrapper at such a location that when 'the cellophane wrapper is applied to the package the slit l l will lie over the free end 5 of the rip cord 3. This free end 5 i; pulled through the opening il during the wrapping operation, sc as to project outside of the "cellophane wrapper, and iinally the closure piece or patch 4 is cemented over the opening il so as to make the same air-tight, leaving the free end 5 of the binding strip projecting loosely on the outside of the completed package as shown in Fig. l0.

When it is desired to open my improved package it is merely necessary to grasp the free end 5 of the rip cord 3 and pull the same in the direction of the slit 9 as shown in Fig. l1. Thus, due to its inherent weakness against a shearing force, the cellophane outer wrapper will be easily torn in a direction parallel with the preformed slit 9 and, by completely removing the rip cord or binding strip 3, an opening in the cellophane outerwrapper will be formed in registry with the opening 9, permitting ready access to the contents of the package by merely lifting up the iiap thus formed at the corner of the package, as shown in Fig. 2. This ap may be completely removed from the package if desired, or may be retained as a closure for the corner open-4 ing, but in any case, the package itself will remain as a sturdy container for the unused portion of the contents and because only a slot is formed in the cellophane outer wrapper, the package as a whole will substantially retain its protective characteristics.

The main advantages of my improved package reside in this last mentioned feature and in the ease with which such a package may be opened. Rip cord arrangements heretofore devised have extended entirely around the periphery of the package so that when the package was opened' the entire end of the package was removed. 'Various arrangements have also been provided for tearing away a portion of the cellophane outer wrapper of cigarette packages and the like, however, even with that improvement it is necessary to then tear away the end of the inner package in order to reach the contents, which operation ordinarily so loos'ens or tears the cellophane outer wrapper to cause its separation from the inner package. Also, the inner package is usually so damaged by the tearing operation to open it that the package is weakened as a container; and this, aside from the inconvenience of having to tear open the inner package.

With my improved package, one operation only is necessary to open thesame, lthis being the grasping of the free end of the rip cord 3 and the pulling of the same in the direction of the slit 9 after which the package is completely opened and access to the contents readily had.

Although but one specic embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A package comprising inner and outer wrappers each having a slit formed to lie' in a wall of said package in registry with each other, and a peelably removable tape-like sealing strip applied on the outside of said outer wrapper and extending lengthwise over thev slit therein, said sealing strip having a free end projecting lengthwise beyond the end of the outer wrapper slit whereby said strip may be peeled from said outer wrapper and a retaining means for the free end of the sealing strip.

2. A package comprising inner and outer wrappers each having a slit formed to lie in a wall of said packagein registry with each other, a

removable sealing strip applied on the outside of said outer wrapper lengthwise over the slit therein, said sealing strip having a free end projecting beyond the end of the outer Wrapper slit, a transparent protective Wrapper surrounding said package and having an opening therein 1ocated to lie at the position of the free end of said sealing strip, said free end of said sealing strip extending through said last-named opening, and a closure patch disposed to overlie said opening and a portion of the sealing strip on the outer side of said protective Wrapper.

3. A package having a slot opening in a wall thereof for access to the package contents, a sealing strip secured onsaid package lengthwise of and over said opening to close the same, said sealing strip having a free end, and means disposed between said sealing strip and said package on the margins of said opening to facilitate stripping said sealing strip from said package and prevent tearing of said package.

4. A package having a slot opening in a wall thereof for access to the package contents, rein.-

forcing Stips secured on the outer side of said' package along the margins of said opening, and an adhesive sealing strip disposed on top of said reinforcing strips and lengthwise of said opening to closethe same, said sealing strip being more easily separable from said reinforcing strips than the latter are from said package, and said sealing strip having a free end to facilitate stripping said sealing strip from said package.

5. A package having afslot opening in a wall thereof for access to the package contents, reinforcing strips secured on the outer side of said package along the marginsv of said opening, an adhesive sealing strip disposed on top of said reinforcing strips'and lengthwise of said opening to close the same, said sealing strip being readily separable from said reinforcing strips and having a free end to facilitate such removal, and a 'protective outer wrapper having an opening therein located at the position of the free end of said sealing strip and through which said free end projects.

`6. A cigarette package comprising an inner wrapper completely enclosing a plurality of cigarettes, an outer wrapper surrounding said inner wrapper, said inner and outer Wrappers each having a preformed slot opening and said openings being in registry with each other, said openings being located adjacent the top of said package and extending across one side and partially across each face of said package, reinforcing strips extending along the margins of said opening on the outer side of said outer wrapper, an adhesive stamp secured across the ltop end of said package and down each face thereof over the ends of said reinforcing strips, a sealing strip secured on said reinforcing stripslengthwise of said opening to close the same, said sealing strip having a free end, and a transparent protective outer wrapper .on said package having an opening therein through lwhich said free end of said sealing strip projects.

7. A package having a slot opening in a wall thereof for access to the package contents, separation strips secured on'the outer side of said package along the margins of said opening, and a sealin-g strip disposed and secured on top of said separation strips and' lengthwise of said opening to close the same, said sealing strip being arranged to be stripped from said separation strips by peeling therefrom, and said sealing strip having a free end to facilitate stripping said sealing strip from said package.

- JOHN STEPHENS. 

